Thank you so much for joining us on Saturday. Such a great day! It is taking me longer than expected to get these favourites formatted and ready to go so I have decided to do it in two parts and go ahead and post what I have done. Watch for Part 2 soon.
Please remember Homegrown Homeschool Consignment and Supplies when you are looking for good books. Cheryl had several of the books in this list in the store on Saturday, not sure what she has left.
I’m not going to take the time to include links for each book. If a specific link isn’t provided, you can probably find it at Christianbook, Chapters and/or Amazon. Also, I always scan the titles at Value Village and Frenchy’s when I am in; I’ve found some books from my wishlist that way. Don’t forget e-book and audio options. So many ways to read good books!
The Green Ember books, S. D. Smith
Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world. Classical Education Books carries all eight books and a ninth, The Archer’s Cup, is available for pre-order. Cheryl had several of these books in the store on conference day. If you’re ready to take the plunge and order all of the books, Classical Education Books has the first eight as a bundle. As of today (Oct. 2) this purchase would qualify for free shipping and get you The Archer’s Cup as a free gift. Follow this link to see the details.
Tom’s Midnight Garden, Philippa Pearce
Fun, suspenseful read, with a good lesson for us all tucked in there. Good clean reading, and all ages in my family enjoyed this one.
The Ascendance Trilogy, Jennifer A. Neilsen
An adventure that grabs your attention from the first page and presents stories in a way that keeps you guessing what will happen next while challenging the way you see things. More good clean reading.
Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart, Chuck Black
Book four of The Knights of Arrethtrae series, Sir Dalton will catch you and your kids up in a heroic story that is an allegory of knowing scripture. Your husband will like it, too! My 12-year-old decided to start at the beginning with book 1 and has moved on to book 2 and is loving these stories.
Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches
These are so tasty! Love having these in the freezer, ready for busy mornings. This recipe is from thekitchn.com, but there are many variations on other websites. I use a cookie sheet with sides and 12 eggs to make at least 15 sandwiches at once, more if you use the cut scraps of eggs. We usually use sliced deli ham but sausage patties or bacon are delicious, too. Made fresh, these are also an easy and delicious way to feed a crowd. Now that I have sourdough on the go, I use my homemade english muffins. YUM.
Make-Ahead Meatballs
This recipe makes a lot of meatballs! So handy to have in the freezer for a quick meal or appetizer. Panko would be lovely but since we have GF/DF people in our home, I used old-fashioned rolled oats whizzed in the chopper instead and whatever nut milk I have on had.
Jeff Mauro’s The United States of Meatloaf
Weird name! Great meatloaf! I love meatloaf. This one doubles well, freezes well, slices beautifully to serve. I use oats and nut milk in this one, too, and extra ground pork instead of veal.
Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Bread
Yum! The sourdough discard gives this loaf a wonderful texture. Also doubles well.
Kimchi!
Oh my – how did I live without kimchi all these years? A friend gave me a jar from her own batch this winter, and I have been hooked ever since. She used Maangchi’s recipe which is DELICIOUS. We had lots of extra carrots, ginger and garlic and go easy on the red pepper flakes. I have one of her beautiful cookbooks, too.
Learn to play from a professional teacher for free! Shannon’s son is doing GREAT with these lessons and I can’t wait to try them out.
Reader’s Bible
I have several Bibles and find them all valuable for their different presentations. This was given to me as a gift and I LOVE IT. Reading the text as it was written, without the verse numbers and topical headings, gives me context and doesn’t restrict my train of thought to one single perspective of a passage and where that passage begins and ends. I find it to be a much richer reading experience and I see many things that I didn’t see before. They were there all along! But those pesky man-made divisions were in the way. Mine is ESV and published by Crossway, but I see that Christianbook has several variations by several publishers. Can’t vouch for the others, but I do love mine. Next time going to look for one with wide journalling margins.
Inductive Study Bible
Tanya introduced us to this Bible, and it is so beautiful, not to mention my favourite colour. If you are dependent on commentary to help you understand scripture, read a Bible like this one and take a step of faith and trust the Holy Spirit to teach you. He is the best teacher! Watch for sales on christianbook.com; they have great Bible sales all through the year but especially leading up to Christmas.
Gospel Transformation Bible
This one helps us see the gospel woven through all of scripture, a refreshing break from the moralistic tendencies of so many study Bibles. (But one important disclaimer! I have to say I think they dropped the ball on Song of Solomon. Tanya’s presentation on the gospel in that book was FASCINATING and I am excited to dig in deeper this week.)
Interlinear Bible
This is a fun one for those who enjoy looking at the original languages and grammar. I recommend it! I have learned so much this way. Shannon has a hard copy and I love holding a real book in my hands, but right now I still recommend the online version. So easy to hover over a word and see the meaning, the part of speech and all of it’s particulars, and so beautiful to read with the phrasing of the language of the author, although a little tricky getting used to reading right to left for Hebrew. I have been using biblehub.com.
The Chosen TV Series
When I first heard about this new show, to say I was not interested is an understatement. But people were talking about it and I heard one comment about the way a subject I had been studying was subtly woven into the dialogue and my curiosity got the best of me. I LOVE THIS SHOW. I love how each character is introduced and developed as a whole person, especially Jesus. This show is available in a unique format: it has been made entirely free by a donation pay-it-forward method. Each episode you watch will tell you who donated and made it possible for you. Get the free app on your device, or watch on VidAngel. I made a donation and now I can watch all of season 1 online, lots of behind the scenes videos to watch as well: I particularly enjoyed the round table discussions. We are eagerly awaiting season 2.
Loving God With All Your Mind, Elizabeth George
Elizabeth George has written many helpful books for Christian women, and I recently picked this one up again after many years. I can’t get past the first two chapters: whatsoever things are true. This book will help make Philippians 4:8 and several other verses personal and applicable to wherever you are right now. Still struggling daily to think on “whatsoever things are true” and thankful for Mrs. George’s teaching.
Little Northern Bakehouse and Earth Island Cheese
With a couple of GF/DF people in the family, I’m always happy to hear about a new product and these two are great. Little Northern Bakehouse produces many varieties of GF breads. Look for them in the freezer where other GF products are displayed; Sobeys in Greenwood has a very good selection and Kingston Superstore carries two or three. Earth Island Cheddar has made cheeseburgers and egg mcmuffins possible again! Nice to enjoy that cheesy flavour without unpleasant after effects.
Magnesium
We are not doctors! We just like to tell you what has made a difference in our lives, knowing that there are probably many others who would benefit from the information. Doctors rarely check magnesium levels, even though it is an important mineral for many body functions. Look it up! It has cured heart racing (racing that had become a concern and further testing had been ordered, but the GP was satisfied when magnesium resolved the issues), intense foot and leg cramping and restless leg syndrome, disrupted sleep patterns, and constipation. We have used it in powder form as well as a cream which Jessica Rouleau makes and sells. If you don’t know Jess and would like to order some, please contact us for her info.
Librivox/G.A. Henty
Librivox is a website that uses volunteer readings to make public domain books available for free. (I think I told you it was .com, sorry for the error and if you have already been looking for it I hope you found it at .org!) We have enjoyed many Librivox audiobooks, and right now my son is powering his way through all 36 G.A. Henty historical fictions available on the site. Most kids love stories of struggle and conquest and with Henty they learn a whole lot of history along the way.
Awaking Wonder, Sally Clarkson
I first heard of Sally Clarkson when I started homeschooling many years ago. I have considered her a friend and mentor ever since, and it was so great to meet her and listen to her in person in Sussex, NB in 2012. The Valley Women’s Encouragement Conference just may be a direct result of that meeting and teaching. Sally has written many books on motherhood and family, has co-authored parenting books with her husband, Clay, but this is the first book in many years that is devoted to learning. Disclaimer: I haven’t read it yet! It just released in August. I watched the entire online conference presented with the release and have watched several of Sally’s webinars over the years and have no reservations recommending her. I love her philosophy of education and we all benefit from hearing her approach to teaching her children. These principles are not exclusive to homeschooling: we all teach our children every day, whether intentionally and formally or not. Sally has a very full website where you can read her blog, listen to podcasts or access her subscription site.
Two new-to-me songs
If you haven’t heard them yet, check out He is Worthy by Andrew Peterson and There was Jesus by Zac Williams and Dolly Parton. He is Worthy will fill you with praise for our Saviour and There was Jesus just might fill you with thankfulness for God’s sovereignty. Look at this beautiful rendition of He is Worthy by Keith and Kristyn Getty and their sweet girls. So many have recorded this song. Find your favourite!
Stay tuned for the rest!
~Charmin
Valley Women's Encouragement Conference 